Home, Love, Family
by Anonymousnette
Summary: A collection of one shots that take place before, during, and after "A Journey into the Past" series
1. The Engagement

**Okay, so here's a series of one shots that happen before, during, and after "A Journey into the Past," which will eventually become a series. I am accepting requests, but don't panic if I don't get to your request right away. I have other stories to work on, and I'm doing these in chronological order. So, I will only be doing requests about preparations for the wedding/ Mal's coronation for now.**

Mal was just finishing up with the arrangements regarding a visit from Agrabah royalty when her phone rang. Wondering who it could be so close to lunch time, she picked up the phone

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi Mal," Ben said over the phone.

Mal smiled when she heard her boyfriend's voice. She was supposed to meet him for breakfast, but his parents said he left early in the morning to do something, and he hadn't been seen since. She couldn't help but be relieved. "Hi Ben."

"Listen, I have something important to talk to you about, but it can't be over the phone."

Mal was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Just come down to the Enchanted Lake, and we'll talk about it, okay?"

Mal hesitated. Ben had been acting weird lately. He was always somewhere, always on his phone, and every time he looked at her, he seemed to get nervous, even though he tries to hide it. She couldn't help but wonder that there was something wrong with them. None the less, she agreed to come. "Sure, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Great, see you then."

"You too," Mal said.

"Bye."

"Bye." Mal hung up after that, and walked down to the Enchanted Lake. Along the way, she couldn't help but worry about Ben. What did he want to talk about? Was it urgent? Well, if he wanted her to discuss it with her of course it was urgent. But with the way he was acting lately, was he... no, he wouldn't break up with her. They had been through so much together. But then, why did he act so nervous?

The Enchanted Lake was looking even more beautiful than usual today, but Mal had no time to spare for the dappled sunlight gilding the trees or for the deep green of its mirrored waters. She had come so quickly that she was out of breath, and all she could think of was finding Ben. Her mouth dropped open as she looked at the ruins. There was a picnic blanket spread out, and a picnic basket on top of it, just like in their first date, but with a lot more food.

Ben sat in the middle of the blanket with a smile on his face and gestures to the scene around him. "Do you like it?"

Mal grinned as she walked over. "Ben, I love it! Thank you!"

"And don't worry, I didn't forget the strawberries," Ben added as Mal sat down.

"Yeah, but you forgot the napkins ." Mal reached into the basket, but instead of finding napkins, she grabbed something that felt like a velvet box. She pulled it out. It was a velvet box alright, a purple one at that. "Ben, what..."

Ben quickly took the box. "Uh... I can explain..." Mal bit her lip. Ben was acting nervous again. Was this the end? Ben too a deep breath. "Mal, you've saved me, and Auradon, more times than I can ever count." Ben adjusted his position so that he was on bended knee. "And I love you." He held out the case. "Lady Mal Bertha, will you do the honor of becoming my wife?"

Ben didn't have to wait twice for Mal's answer. "Yes! Yes, Ben, I will marry you!" She threw her arms around her now fiancé. Ben stumbled a little when she did so, but hugged her back anyways. After a little while, they pulled away from each other, with Mal smirking. "So that's why you've been acting so weird."

"Good thing you weren't here earlier then," Ben replied with a chuckle. "I had to practice on Evie to get my nerves down." Then he paused. "I know it sounds kind of silly, but I was afraid you'd say no, even though I was sure you were going to say yes."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "How come?"

Ben rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I guess guys get nervous when proposing no matter what."

"I guess that's understandable ." Mal them kissed Ben's cheek. "I just have one question: Can we eat while we start planning the wedding?"

Ben chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask."


	2. The Nutcracker

A **one shot inspired by "Nutcracker" from Straight No Chaser**

 **Disclaimer: I actually love The Nutcracker, but that song is actually funny. And somehow I thought Mal would react the same way to the ballet.**

Mal twirled her engagement ring. It has been a few months since Ben proposed, and they were both very busy planning the wedding, which was set to take place on the anniversary that they met. However, Ben had just called saying that he had a Christmas surprise for Mal. How he had managed to do that, she had no clue, as she hadn't found the time to go Christmas shopping.

Just then, a knock at the door interrupted her from her thoughts. "Come in."

The door open, and her fiancé walked in. "Hey Mal." he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey Ben," she said as she hugged Ben back. "Everything okay?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, I just have a surprise for you. Well, an early Christmas present really."

"Oh?" She tilted tilted her head, wondering what it could be.

He smiled. "Tickets to see The Nutcracker."

Mal's eyes widened. Did she just hear that right? "What?"

"I know, right?" We are going to see the classic Christmas ballet together." Ben must've noticed Mal's wide eyes, because them he raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

Mal quickly nodded. "Yeah, I just thought you said something else. Look, I have a lot of work to do, Lady of the Court you know, but I'll see you at dinner, okay?" As part of being Lady of the Court, she had gotten her own room at the castle after she graduated.

"Alright then." Ben kissed Mal's forehead, then walked out of the room, leaving Mal to start thinking about how she could get herself out of this situation.

* * *

Later on, Mal heard a knock at the door again, except this time, she knew who it was. "Come in Evie." When Mal couldn't think of a good reason to not go to _The Nutcracker_ with Ben, she decided to call Evie to help her out.

"Hey Mal," Evie said as she walked in. "What's going on?"

Mal whirled around, wearing an expression akin to the one she had when Ben asked her out on their first date. "Ben's taking me to..." She shivered. "... The Nutcracker." Mal had tried to think of any way she could weasel herself out of it. She could say that she had too much work to do, but Ben would probably work his butt off to get his work done so that he could take her to _The Nutcracker_ , and it wouldn't seem fair. She could pretend to be sick, but he would see through her in a second.

Evie, however, smiled brightly. "Mal, that's wonderful! Why are you so upset about it?"

Mal resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "E, you know that I've never been into ballet. There's just something about people in tutus that drives me up the wall. I've also looked it up, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Mouse King is even scary than my mother."

Evie's mouth opened a little, indicating that she got the point. "Why don't you just tell him the truth, M?"

Mal sighed. Sometimes, it seemed like Evie didn't get it. "Evie, you don't understand. This is out first Christmas, and probably only Christmas, as an engaged couple, and next year, we'll be married, and I'll be queen. If I don't like, or at least tolerate what he likes, what will that say?"

Evie sighed. "Mal, I'm pretty sure..."

However , Mal interrupted her. "And besides, Ben seems so excited about this. I just don't want to let him down."

After a long moment of silence, her best friend finally spoke. "Alright, how's this: I'll get tickets myself and take Doug to the valley the same night. That way, you won't have to face this alone. After all, it will be our first Christmas engaged too." Evie had gotten engaged to Doug about a month after Mal and Ben had. They sometimes wondered if the two men had planned that on purpose.

Mal threw her arms around Eve in gratitude. "E, you're the best."

* * *

It was the night of the ballet. Mal was rushing around the room, trying to get ready. The reason why she was running so late was that she had finally found time to do some Christmas shopping and had to finish wrapping one of Ben's presents. She heard Ben knocking on the door for the fifth time. "Mal, are you ready yet? Evie and Doug will be here any minute."

Mal put on her second earring. "Just a bit." Once Ben found out that Evie and Doug were also coming, he suggested that they all go there together, so, they were all carpooling in Doug 's car.

Once she came out, Ben's jaw dropped open. "Mal... You... You look..."

Then a car horn beeped, and Mal giggled. "Come on my handsome beast, they're already here." They both rushed out the door, and as soon as they got into the car and buckled up, they were off.

* * *

"Ugh, I knew I should've checked the traffic reports before we left," Doug groaned as he leaned against the driver's window. Just as they were nearing their destination, they came across stand still traffic.

Evie reassuranly put her hand on Doug's shoulder. "It's alright honey, we left early enough, and we're almost there anyways."

Ben looked over and smiled at Mal. She smiled back before looking out the window. The sidewalks were crowded crises with shoppers, rushing about to buy Christmas presents. It made her dizzy just watching them.

Despite the fact that they eventually got past the traffic, they had trouble finding a parking spot and barely managed to get into the theater before the house lights went off. Mal kind of hoped that the profound apologies and promises that the theater would make the parking lot bigger from one of the ushers would continue on for the whole show, but soon enough, they were in the theater getting into their assigned seats according to their tickets.

"Did you get seats next to us on purpose?" Mal asked as she slid down in the seat next to Evie.

Evie shook her head. "No, I swear, it was a complete coincidence." Mal shrugged . At least Ben remembered that she didn't always like "special arrangements" . They sometimes just made her feel awkward.

Then, the ballet started. The opening notes reminded Mal of some video game that Carlos played, but she couldn't make sense of anything else. Why was the tree growing, and who was making it grow? Why were the toy soldiers and the nice fighting? When Clara and the Nutcracker entered the Land of Sweets, Mal thought that whoever wrote this must've been hungry at the time. And that's when her eyelids started getting heavy.

* * *

Mal was startled awake by the change in music. As she looked around, she realized that she must've fallen asleep. Luckily, no one had noticed. She stretched in her seat, wondering if the ballet was over yet. She didn't know how much more she could take.

Suddenly, she got an idea. She leaned on closer to her fiancé. "Hey Ben, I have to go to the bathroom."

" Okay, don't be too long, " Ben whispered back. "I got you some hot chocolate if you want anything to drink anything."

Mal looked into the cup holder in her seat. Sure enough, beating in there was a Styrofoam cup. He was just so sweet. She smiled at Ben and mouthed "Thanks" before getting up out of her seat and walking out the doors, blinking as she stepped onto the lights. It did feel good to stretch her legs though. She looked around the lobby, and soon spotted that the concession stand was still open. She figured that even though she didn't like the Nutcraker, she should st least get Ben a cupcake or something, since he went through all of that trouble.

* * *

After half of a cup of hot chocolate and what felt like an eternity for Mal, the ballet was finally over. However, the night had one more suprise. Just as they were exiting the theater, the paparazzi decided to swarm them. The forsome barely managed to get into the car and get out of the parking lot.

Once they were on the road, Ben gently took Mal's hand. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about what might happen if reporters showed up."

" It's fine, " Mal quietly said as she stared out the window. She was so tired right now that all she wanted to was go to bed.

"No, it's not." He put a hand on her shoulder . "Mal, look at me." Mal turned her head towards Ben. Even in the darkness she could make out his hazel green eyes. "Have you've been feeling more stressed since our engagement?" She shook her head . "Mal, please, I know you 're keeping something."

Mal sighed, deciding to confess her fears. "Ben, I love you, but how is this going to work? I mean, if we don't even like the same things how are we going to get along? What will people think? "

Luckily, Doug had decided that now was a good time to pull over, so Ben unbuckled his seat belt and moved closer to his fiancé. "We've been over this. You just have to be yourself. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. As long as we're together, that's what really counts." Mal nodded, finally coming to her senses. "I take it you didn't like the dance then?"

Mal shook her hear . " It was horrible. But you seemed so excited about it... "

"Mal, the only reason I took you there was because I wanted our first Christmas together to be special."

Mal couldn't help but be touched. "Aw, Ben, you didn't have to do that for me. Being with you makes Christmas special for me. "

Ben smiled and hugged his true love. "Thanks Mal, but if you ever try to drag yourself to an event you don't like again, maybe I'll take you next year. "

Mal hugged Ben back and smirked. "Well, I guess you don't get the cupcake I bought for you then."

Ben's eyes widened at the word cupcake. "What?"

 **Thanks for reading everyone! I do have some of my own ideas, but requests are very much appreciated.**


	3. At the Nutcracker

Ben was probably the luckiest guy in the kingdom. He was out with his friends near Christmas, watching a classic Christmas ballet, but most importantly, he had his fiancé by his side, the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. Despite having less than ideal beginnings, he loved her with all his heart, and wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. Which was why he took her to the Nutcracker tonight. He wanted to make sure that the Christmas before they got married was special.

He looked over at Mal to see how she was enjoying the ballet, only to see that she had fallen asleep. He couldn't blame her. She had been working as hard as he was to prepare for the wedding, as well as her coronation, which was to be held right after the wedding. He put his arm around her, and gently pulled her to him, making it so her head rested against his shoulder. As he continued watching the ballet, he gently ran his fingers through her hair, carefully trying not to wake her up.

After a while, Ben was starting to feel thirsty, so he carefully repositioned Mal and turned to Evie and Doug. "Hey guys, I'm going to get us some hot chocolate, alright?"

Evie nodded. "Alright." Ben walked into the lobby, admiring the decorations. He always loved this time of year and couldn't wait to spend more Christmases with Mal. Once he got the drinks he handed them out to E vie and Doug, then put his and Mal's in the cup holders. However , as he was about to put his arm around his fiancé again, she woke up.

 **Thanks for reading everyone! I thought it might be cute to write about what happened while Mal was asleep during the Nutcracker.**


	4. Christmas Wishes

**This one shot takes place about 9 to 10 months before _A Journey into the Past,_ assuming the school year at Auradon Prep starts in September. In other words, back when Meghan was being raised by Harry Hook, and her name was Harper. **

Harper stared out the window at the falling snow. She at least thought with news of the big snowstorm her dad would try to get home in time for Christmas, but she was wrong. It was already Christmas Eve, and how would he get home in the snow? With a sigh, she turned towards the television, not that the signal would be that good. Once again, it was on the news.

"Despite the snow, King Beast and Queen Belle are still planning on releasing thousands of lanterns into the sky, in hopes that Princess Meghan and her family would return home," the news anchor said.

* * *

Belle looked out the window. It has been over a decade since Mal, Ben, and Meghan disappeared, and she missed them, especially during this time of year. Just as she was about to turn around, she felt strong, but gentle hands being placed on her shoulders.

"Maybe there will be one more Christmas miracle for this year," the voice of her husband said.

Belle turned around. "I know, I just miss them. Ben always loved this time of year, and ever since Mal came here she's always tried to make it special for him. And Meghan... She's probably fifteen years old by now."

Adam/ Beast nodded. He knew how much she missed her family. He just didn't say it a lot. He needed to remain strong for his wife. "You know, if you think it's too much on you..."

Belle shook her head. "No, I'll be there in a minute, okay?" Adam/ Beast nodded and left the room, leaving Belle to look out the window again.

* * *

*Ghost of Christmas Past*

* * *

Meanwhile, Harper had already made a mental note to watch the lanterns later and shut off the TV. She had almost forgotten that she wasn't the only one to spend Christmas alone. It was bad enough that her dad wasn't around for Christmas, but Queen Belle and King Beast had to spend Christmas without their whole family. Harper went to her bookshelf and took out a story book about Santa Claus. Maybe this would take her mind off things. However, as she read, she couldn't help but wish the war never happened. Then the royal family would be together and maybe her dad wouldn't be so over protective.

* * *

*My Grown up Christmas List*

* * *

When the time came, Belle and Beast released the first lantern into the sky. As the lantern rose into the sky, Belle felt her spirits lift along with it. If they didn't find them first, they would find their way back home... someday.

 **Okay, so this idea couldn't wait until next year, so I'm writing it now. I am no longer writing these in chronological order, but I'm still taking requests. I have a few more one shots I want to write before I write about Mal and Ben's wedding.**


	5. The Perfect Gift

**Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long. I meant to post this before Christmas, but between family Christmas stuff, writer's block, and being dragged to a multitude of places against my will, that obviously didn't happen. Anyway, this is for the Writer's Anonymous Flower Language Challenge. It takes place in between Descendants 1 and 2.**

 **For my regular readers: I know that there is already a Descendants Christmas short on YouTube, but that's kind of hard to place in the timeline, since they are in their Descendants 2 attire, but they would've already had their first Christmas, since Family Day seems like a sort of Open House, which in America happens in the beginning of the school year (at least in the state I'm from). So, I'm not counting it as canon for now.**

 **For Writers Anonymous: I hope you guys like it!**

 **Word Count: 1,596**

Sunlight shone through Ben's window as he woke up that morning. A smile spread across his face. Finally, finals were over, which brought some weight off of the young King's shoulders. Now he could go home and spend Christmas with his family... suddenly, he jerked upright. He was so busy with school work and his kingly duties that he had barely found the time to go Christmas shopping. Luckily, he had already done most of it online, but there was still one more person Ben had to get a present for: his girlfriend, Mal. It was her first Christmas in Auradon, and he wanted to get her the perfect present. In his eyes she wasn't an ordinary girlfriend. Not only was there that special spark in between them, but she had also saved Auradon and himself when Maleficent crashed his coronation. He wanted the present to express his love and gratitude towards her. He also thought that it would be less personal if he bought that kind of present online.

He flipped to the calendar section of his planner. Only two more weeks until Christmas. It may see like he had plenty of time, but he knew that those weeks would fly by quickly. He took a deep breath. First, he would finish packing for the trip home, then he would worry about Christmas.

* * *

After Ben had gotten ready for the day and finished packing, he walked through the halls of Auradon Prep and spied his purple haired girlfriend. "Hey Mal."

'Mal's petite figure turned to him; her short air moved gracefully, reveling the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes on. At first it had been bit difficult to get past her tough-as-nails exterior, but once they got to know each other (and thanks to a certain cookie), he saw that inside, she was a caring person and was protective of the ones she loved."Hey Ben. So, what is Christmas again?"

"Christmas is a holiday when we spend time with our families and exchange presents," Ben answered. "We also decorate our houses for the occasion."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Ben shrugged. "It's just what we do."

Mal shrugged back. "Anyway, thanks for letting me and my friends stay at the castle during winter break."

"Anytime. Besides, do you really think I would let you spend the holidays homeless?" Since the Isle of the Lost was surrounded by a magical barrier, Mal and her friends couldn't go back for vacation. Besides, since they chose good, they weren't very welcome there. So, Ben decided to invite them to spend the break with his family in their castle. "You all ready to go?"

"Almost," Mal replied. "Jay and Carlos are just about ready to go, and Evie's still packing her 'dress emporium.'" Mal chuckled. "She's been working on a ton of dresses for Christmas."

Ben chuckled too. "That's not surprising. Everyone likes to get dressed up for Christmas." He paused when he saw Mal's nose scrunch up. "You don't have to wear anything fancy if you don't want to."

Mal shook her head. "It's fine. I'm sure Evie will make me dress up in something. Speaking of Evie, we should check up on her."

"Good idea," Ben said. As they walked to Mal and Evie's dorm, his mind once again wandered to what he was going to get Mal for Christmas. Hopefully, he would think of something.

* * *

Ben sighed as he sat in his office. Only one more week until Christmas, and he still hadn't found anything for Mal. He had visited almost every store in Auradon City, and nothing seemed to be special enough; nothing seemed to express the right amount of love and gratitude he felt for her.

He was suddenly interrupted from his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in."

Evie walked in, the blue reflexes of her hair making her face stand out. She couldn't have come at a better time, but he couldn't expect otherwise, she has always been a good friend to both him and Mal. Even though she had flirted with him when she first arrived, according to Doug she was pretty smart and actually came to realize that she didn't need a prince to make her happy.  
"Hey Ben," Evie said. "You wanted to see me about something?"

Ben nodded as he stood up from his desk. "Yes, it's about Mal."

Evie narrowed her eyes at Ben. "What about her? Because if you're breaking up with her-"

Ben immediately shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that at all. I can't think of what to get her for Christmas."

Evie seemed to sigh in relief. "You could get her a sketchbook. She likes drawing."

"I don't know," Ben said. "I want to get her something truly special for Christmas."

"Ben, I'm sure she'll love anything you get her," Evie suggested. "But if it helps, the craft fair at Auradon Prep is tomorrow. There is a ton of unique stuff there. Maybe you'll find the perfect gift there."

Ben thought about it for a moment. Evie did have a point. Craft fairs were filled with vendors who crafted the most intriguing items. Maybe he would find something there for Mal. "That sounds like a great idea. We could meet up in the Great Hall tomorrow and go as a group."

"Sounds good to me," Evie said. "We'll distract Mal while you look."

* * *

The next morning, the royal limo pulled up to Auradon Prep, where the craft fair was being held. Ben got out of the limo, followed by Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos.

"So, does everyone know the game plan?" Mal asked.

Evie nodded. "We split up into two groups, then meet back at the statue at 12:00 sharp for lunch." When she said "the statue", she meant the beast statue in front of Auradon Prep. It morphed from man to beast whenever someone from King Beast's bloodline clapped, and it symbolized that anything was possible.

"So, what are the groups?" Carlos asked. "I mean, might as well decide now, right?" They had gone over the plan in the car, but they hadn't discussed how they would divide themselves into groups yet.

"How about boys and and girls?" Jay suggested. "It makes it easier that way."

Mal nodded. "Alright then. We meet in the cafeteria in an hour. Let's go."

They split off into their groups and went in separate directions once they were through the door. Jay, Ben and Carlos followed they signs into a room that had tables full of handbags and jewelry. _She might like something to keep her art supplies in_ , Ben thought as he looked at the handbags. _Then again, that's not really what a handbag is for, and she's more likely to use a backpack_. He strolled over to a jewelry booth, where a dragon necklace caught his eye. It was nice, but Mal wasn't really a jewelry girl.

After a few minutes later, they walked into a room with vendors selling ornaments, soaps, and sweaters. Ben looked around and sighed. Mal wasn't the type of girl that liked scented soaps either. And most of the Christmas sweaters were kind of ugly. It seemed like nothing would be perfect enough for Mal.

Carlos must've noticed the troubled expression on Ben's face, because them he walked up to Ben. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, no, I don't know," Ben said. "I want to give Mal the perfect present, but nothing seems special enough for her."

"Don't worry Ben," Carlos said. "I'm sure she'll love whatever you get her. She loves you."

"You could even give her flowers and she could care less," Jay added. "It's the thought that counts."

Ben thought about this. They did have a point. Mal loved him, and wasn't that enough? Did gifts really have to be something special, or could they even be something as ordinary as a sketchbook? Ben thought this over as he strolled over to the ornament booth. His eyes drifted to a display of colorful balls decorated in flowers. There was a variety to choose from, ranging from pink ornaments with red roses to blue ornaments with white daisies.

"Each ornament is hand painted," a voice said.

Ben's head snapped towards the tiny lady that sat behind the booth. "What?"

"Each ornament is hand painted," the lady repeated. "And each ornament has a meaning based on the flower that's painted on it. Red roses represent romance, sunflower represent pride..."

Ben drifted off into thought. Mal did like to paint, and he also remembered what Jay said. He picked up a green ornament with purple flowers on it. "What do these mean?"

* * *

It was finally Christmas Day in Auradon. Everyone was gathered around the tree opening their presents.

"Here Mal," Ben said as he gave his girlfriend a box-shaped present. "This one is for you." He watched as he as she tore open the wrapping paper and opened the lid of the box.

She gasped as she pulled the ornament out of the box. "Oh Ben..."

"They're Canterbury blossoms," Ben explained. "They represent gratitude and constancy." Then, he took a deep breath. "I know that flowers aren't your thing, but I wanted to make your first Christmas in Auradon special, and I wanted to show you how grateful I am for being your boyfriend and-"

Mal put her finger to his lips before he could finish. "I love it, thank you."

Once she pulled her finger away, Ben spoke again. "You really like it?"

"Of course I do," Mal answered. "You obviously put a lot of thought into what you were going to get me." Boy, she could say that again.

"Told you it was the thought that counts," Jay whispered to Ben. Jay was right, but Ben didn't think too much into that thought at the moment. Everyone was happy with what they got, and the VKs seemed to be enjoying their first Christmas in Auradon. Plus, he had found the right present for his girlfriend. This was one of the best Christmases ever.


End file.
